To say Anra was a little nervous would be the understatement of the century. Having been with the Fellowship through so much and for so long, she had started to consider them as part of her pack, but now she was going back to be with her real pack again she didn't know what to expect. She had never imagined that they'd meet, it was as if she had two separate lives, and they were about to collide.
Leading the small group through the forest towards her pack's territory, she gnawed on her lip worriedly. Nightstalkers did not take kindly to strangers trespassing on their territory and Anra was unsure how much her presence would help the possible situation. She figured their best bet would be to stay towards the edge of the territory and find a patrol, which preferably had one of her friends on it, to lead them to the camp.
"So, Anra, are there any sorts of important customs that we should know about?" Legolas asked uncertainly, not having any experience with any Nightstalkers other than her before.
"Umm," Anra casted her mind about, trying to think of anything important that people other than Nightstalkers would not know about, "try not to look anyone directly in the eye unless you want to fight, don't question the alpha's orders in front of anyone, and umm… Oh! Whatever you do, do not accept any form of any challenge from anyone until you run it by me first."
Seeing her companions' skeptical looks she further explained, "Nightstalkers take any and every sort of challenge very seriously; granted, if it just like a who can eat the most food or drink the most mead sort of thing you don't have to worry too much about it, though you still need to be very careful because we have a habit of attaching some nasty retributions onto the loser's plate. But if it is a serious matter, do not, I repeat, do not accept the challenge. It doesn't matter if you feel like a coward for backing down, that is still better than any sort of outcome that could possibly come from accepting the challenge."
Gimli opened his mouth, about to ask her what she meant by that, but the she-wolf held up her hand to silence him as she came to a stop. "This is the border, one more step and we'll be in Nightstalker territory," she said her voice solemn trying to convey gravity of what they were about to do. Not seeming able to quite grasp her concerns, they gestured for her to continue leading the way.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped over the invisible line and continued walking. The comforting smell of her pack enveloped her like a warm hug welcoming her home; craning her neck, she looked all around the old forest that she had grown up in with a soft smile on her face. After walking for a bit longer in silence, Anra turned to the others and said, "I'm going to try to find a patrol that can escort us to the camp, I need you four to stay here and wait for me."
"Why do we have to stay here, why can't we come with you?"
"Because it'll be a lot faster if I can just go by myself and the sooner we alert somebody of our presence the better, trust me."
"Why do we have to find a patrol at all, why can't you just bring us to your village?" Aragorn asked in confusion.
"The Nightstalker camp is not like a human city, " she explained, "just walking in unannounced is suicide for a stranger, you would be treated as a hostile enemy and killed on sight, no questions asked."
Without any further explanation, she shifted and lopped off into the trees, vanishing into the undergrowth. The remaining members of the Fellowship glanced at each other apprehensively wondering what it was exactly they had just gotten themselves into.
Turning to Gandalf, Legolas asked, "How much do you know about Nightstalker customs?"
"Not nearly enough," he replied seeming troubled. Aragorn wondered if after listening to Anra's warnings, he was starting to regret his decision to ask for their aid. Honestly, he was starting question wisdom of it; they obviously did not like outsiders.
Anra hadn't been gone for too long, when Aragorn heard a rustling in the bushes. Clearly hearing it too, the others perked up a bit, expecting the white she-wolf to reappear, but it wasn't her.
Seeming to almost materialize out of thin air, the small company found themselves surround by seven or eight large, snarling Nightstalkers. Backing up so they had their backs to each other and their hands up in the universal "we mean no harm" sign, the Fellowship stood just like they had earlier that day when they had been surrounded by the riders of Rohan.
Wondering desperately where Anra was, Aragorn said, "We are here to speak to King Reign."
A large black wolf took a threatening step forward with his lips drawn back in a snarl and his ears pressed flat to his head. They gave no acknowledgement to what he just said; in fact they acted as if he hadn't said anything at all. Staring at the dark beast in front of him, Aragorn fought the urge to draw his sword in self-defense, not wanting to further provoke them, but he'd seen Anra in enough fights to know what it looked like when a wolf was about to pounce.
The wolf's muscles bunched underneath his pelt, but before he could launch himself at the ranger, a streak of white shot between the two of them and knocked him off his feet. For a moment Anra and the other wolf tussled before they sprung apart.
Anra stood in front of Aragorn; her body crouched low in defense as she growled menacingly at the other wolves. Keeping herself low to the ground, ready to attack if necessary, she paced around her four companions several times, occasionally snapping her teeth at another wolf if they were too close.
Aragorn watched in amazement as the other Nightstalkers backed off a bit, relaxing, and some even hesitantly wagging their tails at Anra in greeting. Aragorn released a breath he hadn't realized that he had been holding, letting his fingers trail through Anra's fur as she walked by, to draw some comfort from the familiar feeling of her pelt.
The black wolf snarled thrusting his muzzle towards Anra's angrily, taking a threatening step forward, the white she-wolf showed her teeth in response. Aragorn's eyes shifted nervously watching the exchange as the other wolves in the company whined anxiously at their pack-mates.
The two seemed to be locked in some staring contest when the bushes rustled again and three more wolves appeared. They seemed to simply gaze upon the scene for a moment before a large grey one pushed his way forward and stuck his snout between the two quarreling wolves, giving a low bark.
As if he had broken a spell Anra and the black wolf broke eye contact and lowered their heads. The grey wolf gently sniffed Anra then woofed softly and turned to walk back the way that he had just come from.
Anra brushed lightly against Aragorn as she started forward, taking it was a sign Aragorn began walking as well with a swift glance behind him to see his other companions doing the same. The Nightstalkers stayed in their tight formation around the Fellowship as they made their way through the dense forest, just like the elves had, but at least then they had been able to properly communicate with their captors. The fact that Anra was being kept within the tight circle worried Aragon too, if she was their princess then shouldn't they treat her as such?
After about an hour of walking in a tense silence the group reached a very strange looking structure; it appeared to be a wall, built from both rock and wood with live, rather large trees growing randomly throughout it. They approached a gate that was approximately three horses wide and two tall, where the large grey wolf barked loudly. A second passed and then the large gates opened, creaking loudly in protest.
Following the wolves through a short tunnel Aragorn could not help but gape a little at what he saw once they exited it. He stood still for a moment as he tried to process what he was seeing. They were in a large sun filled clearing, which was surrounded by the wall that now, upon further inspection, appeared to actually be an enormous, hoop shaped building, and all around them were wolves and humans. A woman stood with one hand on her hip and the other shaking a finger in disapproval at several wolf pups that sat at her feet, a little ways away, a teenage boy and a young, gangly wolf were playfully wrestling in the grass, and across the clearing from them, two wolves lay bathing in the afternoon sun while five human babies, who couldn't be more than a year old, were happily clambering over them pulling, at their fur and gurgling at each other.
As the procession made its way across the clearing, Nightstalkers stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the strange group go by. Aragorn glanced at Anra, wondering how she felt about being back home after so long. She was staring determinedly ahead, ignoring all the strange looks they were getting.
Upon reaching the other side of the clearing, they walked up a large stone ramp that went about half way up the wall before turning into a patio of sorts. Without pausing the wolves pushed through a pair of large wooden doors that lead into the surrounding structure. The doors gave way to a large stone throne room, with a large red wolf being the sole occupant. Though his muzzle had greyed from age, he was still easily the largest Nightstalker the Fellowship had seen thus far.
'This must be Reigh, Anra's father,' Aragorn thought nervously.
As Reigh approached, Anra lowered her body and exposed her neck in a show of submission and respect for her alpha. Aragorn glanced around, noticing that though their escorts had dispersed around the room, they all seemed to be in the same position as Anra, bodies lowered, throats bared. Unsure of what else to do the rest of the Fellowship bowed their heads respectfully to the king, hoping that that was the human equivalent to what the Nightstalkers were doing.
Momentarily ignoring the majority of the Fellowship, Reigh stood in front of his daughter and very carefully enclosed his jaws around her snout in a show of dominance. He released her after a moment, gently touching his nose to hers in greeting before turning his powerful gaze to her companions.
When the king shifted he was shorter than what Aragorn had imagined he'd be. His hair was flicked with grey and he had very broad shoulders. Reigh's face was solemn, but crow's feet surrounded his eyes, showing that he must smile a lot.
Anra shifted into her human form, "Father," she greeted with a hesitant smile. The man briefly gazed at his daughter before returning his attention to the rest of the Fellowship.
"Nightstalkers do not take kindly to trespassers," he said in a solemn voice. Aragorn looked towards Anra in confusion, this was her territory how could this be trespassing?
Anra quickly spoke, "My lord, we have come with no ill intentions, only in hopes of receiving shelter and an audience with you." Well speaking she kept her head and eyes lowered and her palms facing outwards. "This is Gandalf the White, Aragorn son of Arathorn, Gimli son of Glóin, and Legolas of the Woodland Realm." Reign's eyes passed over each one as Anra introduced them, though they seemed to linger on Aragorn a bit longer than the rest.
He nodded his head slowly, "You may rest here tonight and we shall speak again tomorrow." Aragorn began to open his mouth to protest, time being of the utmost importance, but Anra shook her head ever so slightly, stopping him from speaking. "Galorin, my beta, will show you to where you my rest for the night. For now I would like to speak to my daughter alone."
The large grey wolf that had led them to the camp trotted over to them before shifting and gesturing for them to follow him. Aragorn felt hesitant leaving Anra, which he knew was ridiculous seeing as how they were with her people, but it just didn't seem right.
His feelings must have shown on his face because she gave him a gentle smile, saying in a quiet voice, "Go ahead, I will be fine." Aragorn nodded, still feeling somewhat uneasy he gave her arm a gentle squeeze before following the rest of the Fellowship out of the throne room.